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NRLC's cheque to Fallen Workers Memorial

On October 18th, Niagara Regional Labour Council (NRLC) and local Union representatives presented a cheque for $25,000 to the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force Chair (St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik) and Campaign Chair (Greg Wight). The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial will be unveiled in 2017 near Lock 3 of the Welland Canal.

The fourth Welland Canal, built between 1913 and 1932, resulted in the death of 137 workers. In 1932, the Government of Canada promised to establish a memorial to honour the men whose lives were lost during the construction of the fourth Welland Canal – it will take 85 years for that promise to be fulfilled.

The deaths were devastating for family members, local communities, and communities in places as far away as Italy and Poland, as there was a significant number of immigrants who helped build the Welland Canal.

Shane Jenkins, President of CUPE 1295; Bruce Allen, Past President of Unifor 199 and V.P. of Niagara North for the NRLC; Sheri Laekeman, Past President of Unifor 4212 and WCFWM Task Force Member; Daniel Peat, Past President of OSSTF D22 and Past President of the NRLC; Bruce Timms, Regional Councillor and WCFWM Task Force Member; Brian Hodgkins, Health and Safety Coordinator for CUPE 1287; Chris Grawey, CUPE 4207, V.P. of Niagara South for the NRLC, and WCFWM Task Force Member.

Thanks to the 27 Union Locals in Niagara that contributed to the NRLC’s $25,000 donation:

Oct. 21, 2016 –
The Niagara Regional Labour Council,
representing workers from across the Niagara region have donated $25,000
to the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force to help honour
and remember 137 men who died building the fourth Welland Canal.

Task force
chair, Mayor Walter Sendzik and campaign chair Greg Wight thanked the
Labour Council for the generous donation and commitment to the memorial project at a special cheque presentation on Oct.
18.

“On behalf of
the Task Force, thank you to the Niagara Regional Labour Council for
this generous contribution towards the memorial. The
Welland
Canal was built at a time when labour laws and protections were much
different than they are today. Much of that progress is due to the work
of the labour movement to improve the lives and working conditions for
workers all across the country,” stated Mayor
Sendzik. “We are fortunate to have the support of the Niagara Regional
Labour Council not only for this project to properly honour the fallen
workers, but every day on behalf of local workers in our community.”

The Niagara Regional Labour
Council (NRLC) represents unionized workers across Niagara. Under the
umbrella of the Canadian Labour Congress, the NRLC promotes social
justice, human rights, fair labour laws, safe workplaces
and is an advocate for issues affecting all workers across Niagara. The
donation to the memorial was presented on behalf of 27 different Niagara
locals.

Representatives of the NRLC commented on their work and the importance of the memorial. “While
the building of the canal was a huge mechanical achievement
in its time, it also came at a huge personal cost to many of the workers
who helped build it, as well as their families,” said Lou Ann Binning,
President of the NRLC and CUPW 614. “The health and safety laws that we
all have today are the fruits of those men
and women who came many years before, and from their pain today we have
laws that attempt to make our workplaces safer. We are happy to present
this donation of $25,000 to the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial
Task Force on behalf of the Unions across Niagara
and their over 14,000 workers represented by the Niagara Regional Labour
Council.”

"The men whom this
memorial‎ will recognize lost their lives working on a project which
brought prosperity to our lives. The Niagara Regional Labour Council
thought it was important to help publically acknowledge
the debt we owe to those men and the families they left behind," said
Daniel Peat, Past President of OSSTF D22 and Past President of the NRLC.

Campaign chair, Greg Wight thanked the NRLC members. “This
donation from
the Niagara Regional Labour Council helps to remind us what this project
is really about – the people who built the canal and properly
remembering and honouring their contributions and sacrifices made for
our community and our country in building the Welland
Canal,” said campaign chair, Greg Wight.

The
current fundraising goal for the memorial and parkette is approximately
$1 million. The project is being funded in part by the Department
of Canadian Heritage through a $150,000 grant. Companies and
organizations related to the marine industry have contributed close to
$400,000 towards the memorial. The Task Force is continuing to seek
support from the marine and business community, community
partners, the labour community and members of the public. Once
fundraising is complete, the memorial will be built in 2017. For more
information or to make a donation please visit www.stcatharines.ca/CanalWorkersMemorial.

About the Task Force

The Welland
Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Task Force
is a volunteer group established to finance, design, build and install a
memorial to recognize workers who died while building the Welland Ship
Canal between
1914 and 1932. Members of the Task Force include representatives from
all Welland Canal communities, Niagara Regional Council, the federal
government, the marine industry, local historians, the labour community,
and community partners from the Canadian Canal
Society, the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre and the Welland
Canals Foundation. Administrative and project support is provided by the
City of St. Catharines.